Clamping device.



B. RICHARDS.

GLAMPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUGHZB, 1913.-

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

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BENJAMIN RICHARDS, OF CANTON, MASSAOHUSIETTS, ASSIGNOR T ALBENART COMPANY, OF CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS, CQRPOB ATION 0F MASSACHU- SETTS.

GLAMPING DEVICE.

1 126,867, Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, ,2, 1915 Application filed August 28, 1913. Serial No. 787,059.

points of pivotal attachment so that the two brackets are adapted to swing laterally in like paths, carrying the beam with them. This arrangement is similar to that shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 996,884, granted July 4, 1911, and is desirable in that it enables the point of application of the clamping pressure to be shifted laterally with respect to the work but it is not essential so far as my present improvements are concerned.

Near its outer end the beam 8 is provided with a pressure-applying member consisting of an upwardly-extending arm 11, which is preferably bifurcated at its lower end to straddle the beam 8 and is pivotally mounted on a transversely-extending pin 12 secured to said beam and passing through horizontal slots 13 formed in the opposite edges of the To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clamping Devices, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to clamping devices of that type in which the work is held between a pair of relatively-movable jaws by pressure applied by means of a more or less independent mechanism embracing the jaws, and is intended to improve upon prior constructions of this general character in respect to facility and certainty of operation of the pressure-applying mechanism and in other ways hereinafter explained.

The features of construction and arrangement in which my invention resides are illusfv trated in one form in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side View, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, of a clamping device embodying my improvements as preferably constructed; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line mx in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is in part a rear view and in part a transverse section on the line z in Fig. 1.

The form of clamping device illustrated in 39 the drawings, which is of a type suitable for use as a carpenters bench vise, comprises a fixed jaw 9 adapted to be secured to the edge of a work bench 3, with the working face of the aw extending vertically and having in front of it a parallel jaw 4: provided with a pair of horizontal rods 5 mounted to slide in suitable guides, so that the jaw 4: may be moved toward and away from the companion jaw 2. Cross plates or brackets 6 and 7 are carried by the jaws 2 and 4 respectively, and each of these brackets is apertured o'r slotted to receive a beam 8, which extends longitudinally beneath said jaws in the direction of their relative movement and is supported by the brackets as hereinafter described.

In the particular construction illustrated, the brackets 6 and 7 are suspended from the jaws by means of two pairs of hangers 9 and 10 which are pivoted at their upper ends to the rear and front faces of the jaws 2 and l, respectively, and at their lower ends to the corresponding brackets .on opposite sides of the beam 8, the two pairs of hangers being identical with respect to their of the beam being thus suspended from the hangers 10. The arm 11 is operated by suitable means such as a hand lever 14 pivoted at one end within the bifurcated portion of said arm in position to bear upon the top of the outer end of the beam 8, beyond the pin 12, this end of said lever being provided with a cam face so shaped that a downward movement of the lever from the position shown in Fig. 1 will force the upper end of thearm 11 toward the jaw 2.

Behind the jaw E the beam 8 is provided with another upward]y-cxtending arm 15,

opposite the upper end of the arm 11. In the lower portion of said arm 15 is a slot 16 through which the beam 8 passes and which is so shaped as to cause the arm to cramp on the beam and lock itself thereto whenever the beam is sufliciently slanted with respect to said arm, as, for example, by lifting the rear portion of the beam until the arm 15 is tilted backward thereon by the engagement of its' upper end with the rear face of the jaw 2. This locking action may be made more certain and effective by providing the arm 15 at the upper rear edge of its beamreceiving slot 16 with a few teeth 17 adapted to bite into the upper edge of the beam, the opposing point of resistance being located at the lower front edge of said slot, which is somewhat in advance of the teeth 17. The lower portion of the arm 15 is located between rearwardly-extending flanges 18 with which the bracket 6 is provided and is supbrackets 7, as shown in Fig. 1, the outer end the upper end of which is located directly portedon said bracket when unlocked from the beam, preferably by means of a lug or projection 19 restingonthe top of a crosspieceQO-which unites theupper-ends of the flanges 18 behind the arm 15, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The bracket 6 is also provided at its lower end with a cross-piece 2 1 located slightly above the bottom of theslot 16 when the arm is in its unlocked posi-,

tion with respect to the beam, the function 1 of this;cross-.piece 21 being hereinafter.- explained'.

The-"jaw 2 preferably forms a pa-rt'ofa housing 22-adapted to be set into thework benchand having a rearwardly-extending portion 23 turned downward at its rear'end V andF perforated as at 24: to receivethe 'rods5, whereby, in conjunction with perforations .in the jaw Q'through which said rods pass, long guiding bearings for the rodsiare obtained. By making the perforations 24 oblong horizontally, as shown in Fig. 3, and providing tilted forward sufliciently to prevent engagement of the-,beain by the teeth 17 and the slower front edge of; the, slot 16. Said beam can therefore-beslid freelyuin-Ieither direction .thrcughthe slot 16,-carrying/ with it the arm 11, jaw 4 and connected parts and :thus providing for a quickaadjustment of said jawwithrespecttoapieceiof'work placed between it and-thejaW- 'Q. -After.-the "jaws have; been-brought intoengagement withthe work-thev clamping pressure is applied forcing the hand lever 1 k downpiecew21, thereby tendingto tilt the arm sisted; by the engagement of the upper endaof said arm :15 withthe 'rear fa'cenof f 1the jaw 2, and hence said armis causedcto ward, the yfirst partof which movement results not only in "pressing thegupper end =0f forcing the outer :end. of the beam 8: downwardiunder the resistance opposed tosaid This causesthe beam to be tilted-slightly on the pin 1-2as an axis and-liftedoff the cross- 15 forward, but thist-ilting tendency isrecramp on the beam andrlock itself thereto as above described,- simultaneously- -witha slightvupiward movement of the arm; The upper ends of the arms.-1;1'and 1;5-care thus -:pressedi toward each other and c'ausedz-to -the arm 11 i against the-j aw; 4:: but also in exert a pressure upon the work, which pressure may now be increased to any desired extent by forcing the lever 14: farther downward, the necessary relative-movement between the arm 11 and beam 8 beingprovided for by the slots 13. On lifting said lever 14 the clamping pressure is relieved and the rear portion of the beam is perm-ittedto drop; until it rests on the cross-piece 21, whereupon the arm 15 unlocks itself from from the beam and, thepartsarerestored to theirnormal .or relaxed condition; ;leaving "the; jaw; 4: capable;: of free: movement away from ,thework, ITO efl'ectisuch movementit ismerelya necessary to pull backward'on the lever 14, since-the P1111512 connects the beam 8 tothearm 11 and alsorto theawthrough the'b ac et As 1compared with the "form of clamping device shown in the Letters Patent; above mentioned, the Present construction. has the advantage thatthe rear port-ionof-the beam is freed from; its supponting bracket: when the clamping pressure; is applied;,;whereby thebeam'i and: :its upwardly-extending: arms, are rendered independent of the brackets so faras thein clampingnefi'ectis concerned and. both-brackets (and their hangers) are wholly-relieved from strain..- Hence a better application of the clamping pressure is secured, and the rear arm l5 is not liable to be unlocked from" the-gzbea-ni: case the brackets are accidentally, subjected-tea blow or are "jarred by operations :performed' on the worker .on the bench to which the parts are attached. This arrangement-also makes it possible towprovidela cross-piecesuch as 21 for the beam, to sl de on-independently of the rarm 15, and; thus: the kbinding points on; said, arm :arerel-ieved from :wear 1 and all danger of accidental locking-1 f :sai d :to "the beam bywa'naoutward; movement of the latter. ,durin-gfquick, adjustment isxavoided. V

- It, is also i: an advantageous feature .of 2 the present construction: that the beam is con nected to the f'rontarm 11 andithe adjacent the beamsindependently of the bracket, as in the: prior ,teonstruct-icn previously rer 'ferredxto. arm-by the-jaw 4 and the work behind it. 1

All: these .--:features niay= be 7 employed in connection with various :forms of pressureapplying devices; and means. for supporting the same, and their details of construction may-be modified in various respect-s without dep arting: from: my invention;

I claim r 1. l A- clamping: device comprising a beam "provided-- with Opposed pressure-applying members, one of'which is'adjustable length supportingsgbrackctszatrthearsame -point, since th-is obviates-the-necessity of providing for -an: upwarrclnmovementfof the outerwend of a wise of the beam-andf has means for locking .ltSGZlf'tlIGBGtQ' when the beam is liftedg-rela 't-ively movable jaws located between "the pressure-applying members, means carried by one of the jaws for independently supporting the beam and its adjustable pressure-applying member, when unlocked, a bracket carried by the other jaw and having a pivotal support for the beam, and means for operating the pressure-applying members to clamp and unclamp the work.

2. A clamping device comprising a beam provided with opposed pressure-applying members, one of which is adjustable lengthwise of the beam and shaped to grip the lat ter when slanted thereon, relatively movable jaws located between the pressure-applying members, a bracket carried by one of the jaws and provided with means for independently supporting the beam and the adjustable pressure-applying member and permitting said parts to be moved into gripping engagement, a bracket carried by the other jaw and having a pivotal support for the beam, and means for operating the pressure-applying members to clamp and unclamp the work.

3. A clamping device comprising a beam provided with opposed pressure-applying members, one of which is adjustable lengthwise of the beam and has means for locking itself thereto when the beam is lifted, relatively movable jaws located between the pressure-applying members, a bracket carried by one of the jaws and provided with supports on which the beam and the adjustable pressure-applying member are respectively adapted to rest when unlocked, a bracket carried by the other jaw and connected to the beam by a transversely-eXtending pivot, one of said parts being slotted to permit relative longitudinal movement thereof, and means for operating the pressure-applying members to clamp and unclamp the work.

A clamping device comprising av beam provided with opposed pressureapplying members, one of which is adjustable lengthwise of the beam and has means for locking itself thereto when the beam is inclined, a bracket having means for independently supporting the beam and its adjustable pressure-applying member, when unlocked, another bracket having a pivotal support for the beam, relatively movable jaws located between the pressure-applying members, hangers for pivotally suspending said brackets from the corresponding jaws, and means for operating the pressure-applying members to clamp and unclamp the work.

5. A clamping device comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and away from each other, a bracket suspended from each jaw by means of pivotally-supported hangers, a beam passing through said brackets and provided with opposed pressure-applying members between which said jaws are located, one of said members being adjustable lengthwise of the beam and shaped to grip the latter when tilted backward thereon, cross bars carried by one of the brackets for independently supporting the adjustable pressure-applying member and the adjacent portion of the beam in proximity to the respective gripping edges of said members, a transversely-extending pivot pin connecting the beam and the other pressureapplying member and entering horizontal slots in the corresponding bracket, and a hand lever carried by the latter pressureapplying member and having a cam-shaped portion arranged to engage and press downward upon the beam at a distance behind said pivot pin.

6. A clamping device comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and away from each other and provided respectively with guide rods and with long bearings therefor, said bearings having provision for lateral play at a distance from the jaws to permit relative angular adjustment of the latter, a beam extending in the direction of relative movement of the jaws and provided with opposed pressure-applying members embracing the latter, and means for operating said members to clamp and unclamp the work.

7. A clamping device comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and away from each other and provided respectively with guide rods and with long bearings therefor, said bearings being laterally enlarged at a distance from the jaws to provide for relative angular adjustment of the latter, hangers pivotally supported by said jaws, brackets carried by the hangers, one for each jaw, a beam carried by the brackets and eX- tending in the direction of relative movement of the jaws, opposed pressure-applying members carried by the beam and embracing the jaws, one of said members being adjustable lengthwise of the beam and having means for locking itself thereto, and means for operating the pressure-applying members to clamp and unclamp a piece of work placed between said jaws.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day of August, 1913.

BENJAMIN RICHARDS. Witnesses:

E. D. CHADwioK, JOSEPH T. BRENNAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

